Conveying apparatus.



No. 736,903. PATENTE) AUG. 18, 1903.

`1?.'1.WILLSONJE.

CONVEYING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 31, 1901. N0 MODEL. 5 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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F. R. WILLSON; JR. CONVEYING APPARATUS. APPLIOATIOIY. FILED JAN. 31,1901.

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CONVEYING APPARATUS.

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No. 736,903. yPA'].`E1\T'] ED AUG. 18, 1903.

F. R. WILLSON, JR.

' CONVEYING APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION num JAN. s1, 1901.

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FREEMAN R. VILLSON, JR., OF COLUMBUS, OI-IIO, ASSIGNOR TO JEFFREY, OFCOLUMBUS, OHIO.

UNITED STATES Patented August 1e, ieo.

JOSEPH A.

CONVEYING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 736,903, dated August18, 1903.

u vApplication tiled January 3l. 1901. Serial No. 45.460. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may omtoern;

Beit known that I, FREEMAN R. WILLsoN,y

Jr., a citizen ofthe United States,`residingat Columbus, in the countyof Franklin and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and usefulImprovements in Conveying Apparatus, of which the following is `aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompa nyingdrawings.

Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of the upper or feedend of theapparatus, illustrat-` ing the construction of the tilting or dumpingmechanism and the loading hopper or chute. Fig. 2 is a plan view of theloading hopper or chute. Fig. 3 is a detached detail of the car-tiltingmechanism. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the tilting or dumping platform.Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-section of the retarding conveyer-troughabout on the line oo :n of zo Fig. 1. Figs. 6, 7, and 8 are detacheddetails of the brake mechanism of the tilt-table. Fig. 9 is a sideelevation of the lower end of the loading-chute and the upper end of theretarding mechanism, illustrating a modification in the construction.Fig. 10 is a cross-section on the line a e of Fig. 13. Fig. 11 is a-front elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 9. Fig. 12 is a perspectiveview of the mechanism shown in Fig. 11. 3o Fig. 13 is a side elevation,on a reduced scale, of the lower end of the construction shown in Fig.9. Fig. 14 is a plan View of the parts shown in Fig. 13. Fig. 15 is afront elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 13. 'A

In this apparatus is comprised a platform provided with tracks uponwhich the loaded cars are adapted to berun and containing a tiltingmechanism by which the contents of' the cars may be discharged, areceiving-chute 4o or loading-hopper, into which the contents of thecars are dumped and from which the material is conducted to anothertrough or chute leading to receiving-hoppers or pockets orotherreceptacles, the conductor-chute being provided with endless chainsor cables suitably supported and having buckets or plates at intervalsand traveling within the conductor-chute in lthe same direction as theflowing material, but at a slower speed than 5 a the natural flow of thematerial, whereby the `as it can be disposed of to advantage.

material is retarded and fed to the receptacles at the discharge end ot`the conductorchute in a uniform stream and only so fast By this meansthe material may be conducted `down a chute thatis much steeper thancould hejotherwise employed, as by the use ot the retarding mechanismthe material may be fed down the chute at any required speed, the speedbeing regulated by the nature of the material or the conditions orincline of the slope down which it is required to be carried.

The apparatus is more particularly applicable to the conducting ot' coaland similar products down steep inclines, to accomplish which it hasheretofore been necessaryto erectexpensive and cumbersome systems ofinclined railways and similar structures. Vith my device, however, thetroughs, with the chains or cables and their retarding buckets orplates, may be erected at comparatively small expense aud without regardto the degree of inclination at which they are run and can be easilyadapted to the varying nature and incline of the ground or thetopography of the locality where it is to be erected. The structurecomprises generally a platform, which is represented as a whole at l,upon which the loaded cars 2 are run; atilting mechanism 3, by which theloaded cars may be tilted to discharge their loads; a receiving-chute orloading-hopper f1, into which the contents of the cars are dumped; aconducting-chnte 5, down which the material will iiow from theloading-chute; a receptacle 6 at the discharge end of theconductingchute, and the chains or cables 7, having the retardingbuckets or plates 8 and traveling slowly down the conductor-chute.

Instead of the tilting platform the loadingchute 4 may lead directlyfrom the storage bins or pockets, and instead ofthe receptacle 6 thematerial may be arranged to discharge directly into cars or boats orother receptacles or to picking or screening tables, as may be required.

In Figs. 1, 3, and 4. the tilting mechanism is shown, which is of theordinary construction, and consists in side rails 36 and 37, conformingto and registering with the railroadrails 33, preferably inclined andleading from the mine or other source of the supply of the material.These side rails 36 and 37 are suitably united and are supported neartheir forward ends by curved bars or tilting rockers and hinged toconnecting-'rails 11 12, which are in turn hinged by their other ends tothe rails 13 14, by which the cars are removed after being unloaded. Theside rails 36 37 have the removable curved stops 15 16, by which carsare supported while being dumped.

The loading hopper or chute 4 is constructed with diverging sides 39 andwith a central opening 17, n'otected by a shield 18, the opening aordingmeans for mounting chainsheaves 19, over which the chains 7 areconducted, and the shield 18 dividing the material and conducting itaround the opening.

Leading downward from the converging lower end of the loading-chute 4 isthe inclined open conductor-chute 5, formed, preferably, of metal, witha flat bottom and outwardly-inclined sides, as shown in Fig. 5, andsupportedlin a framework 20,resting u pon the surface of the ground orupon a suitable supporting-framework, as may be required by the natureof the ground over which the trough leads. point where the material isto be discharged, either into storage-bins 6, as in Figs. 13 and 14, orto picking and screening tables, or otherwise, as may he required. Theframework 2O is formed with stringers 2l, whose upper surfaces are evenwith the upper edges of the sides of the conductor-trough 5, and affordsupports for the downwardly-moving sides of the endless chains 7,asshown, to keep them in parallel relations to the bottom of theconductor-trough, while the upper or returning sections of the chainsare supported by similar stringers 22. parted to the chains 7 in anysuitable manner, as by a separate engine 23, as indicated in Fig. 13.The transverse plates or buckets conform in outline to theconductor-trough 5 and, as before stated, travel slowl)T down thetrough. These plates 8 are each supported in positions at right anglesto the trough and are strengthened by transverse anglebars on their rearsides. The incline of the conductor-chute may be of any required degreeand much steeper than the material could with safety be permitted toflow down it; but by employing this'retarding device the material can beslowly conducted down even a very steep incline with perfect safety. Theside guide-frames 2l 22 thus support the chains 7 at all times inparallel relations to the bottom of the trough, and thus prevent thelower edges ofthe buckets 8 from dragging on the bottom of the trough onthe down side and also prevent the up side from sagging downwardandinterfering with the oppositelymoving down side.

26 represents guard-stringere arranged' above the lower sides of thechains 7 and parallel to the stringers 21 to serve as guards to Thetrough 5 will end at thev Motion will be imthe down side of the chainsto prevent them from being lifted when the strains are brought to bearupon the chains, and thus insure the down series of buckets acting atall times in proper relations to the trough 5.

The conductor-chute may be covered and protected, as by a roof 27, asshown in Figs. 1 and 5, if required.

In Figs.9 to 15 some modifications are shown in the structure. In thisstructure the endless cable 7, carrying the retarding-ights, is mountedto travel over the vertical sheaves 28 29 at the ends. In thismodification the retarding-buckets are in the form of circular disks orflights 30, and the trough 50 is in U shape in cross-section, as shownin Fig. 10, the return side of the chain and its flights 30 being borneby the supporting-stringers 3l,

as shown in Figs. 10, 13, and 14. To prevent the material from cloggingthe retardingflights 30,a retarding-wheel 32 is arranged between theupperend of the conductor-chute and the lower end of the loading-chute4, the wheel 32 consisting of a number of blades 33, and thereby forminga series'of pockets between the blades adapted to receive the materialas it flows down the loading-chute and deliver it intermittently to theconductorchute between the flights 30, so that at no time will largemasses of the material be deposited in the conductor-chutewhere thedownwardlymoving return flights 30 can strike it. The wheel 32 thusdelivers the material-in comparatively small quantities at regularintervals and so timed as to deliver these masses only between each pairof the flights 30 and retain the next mass until the next flight haspassed the point of delivery to the chute. The upper cable-sheave 28 isprotected Within the upper end of the chute by a guard-plate 34, whilethe sides of the chute opposite this guard diverge, whereby two passagesare formed for the material one on each side of the cablesheave, with acombined area equal to the total area of the body ofthe chute. Thematerial is thus conducted past the cable-sheave and delivered to thechute on each side below the cablesheave and without danger of cloggingthe cable or flights, as before stated. Motion is imparted to thebucket-wheel 32 by a chain 40 and gearing 35, so that it will revolveslowly, and thus serve to hold back the material and deliver it only atintervals corresponding to the spaces between the flights 3@ on thecable 7. In Fig. 12 the mechanism of the retarding-wheel 32 is shownmore clearly in perspective.

The loading-chute 4, it will be noted, is set at a steeper incline thanthe conductor-chute, whereby a positive feeding of the material isinsured at the commencement of the operation to prevent the possibilityof any clogging taking place in the loading-chute.

What I claim is- 1. In an apparatus for transporting material of thecharacter described, the combina- IOO `a conductor trough or guidewayreceiving the material 'from the said loading-receptacle below saidshield, cable-sheaves supported Y within said opening in saidloading-receptacle, endless cables supported to run over said sheavesand to travel parallel to said conductor-trough, retarding devicesconnected to said cables and ruiming within said trough, and means forcausing said endless cables and retarding devices to travel downwardwithin said trough at a speed less than that normally attainable by thematerial under the action of gravity, substantially as set forth.

2. In an apparatus for transporting material of the character described,the combination ot' an inclined initial loading-receptacle havinglaterally-extended sides, a conductor trough or guideway arranged at arelatively steep inclination and with its upper end extended beneathsaid loading-receptacle, acentral guard or apron within saidloading-receptacle and adapted to divide the material into twosubstantially equal parts and deliver it to said conductor-trough atopposite sides below its upper end, a series of traveling flights in thesaid trough or guideway, and means for moving the said flights downwardtherein ata speed less than that normally attainable by the materialunder the action of gravity when it is supported on said trough,substantially as set forth.

3. In an apparatus for transporting material the combination of aconduit along which the material is transported, an endless movingdevice for controlling the transporting of the material, a sheave aroundwhich the endless moving device passes,an inclined chute which deliversthe materialto the said conduit having an opening in its bottom in whichthe sheave is mounted, and a shield around the upper end and sides ofthe said opening arranged to keep the material passing through the chuteaway from the sheave, substantially as set forth.

4. In an apparatus for transporting material of the character described,the combination of a conductor trough or guidewayai ranged at arelatively steep incline, an initial loading-receptacle set at a steeperincline than the conductor-trough, a series of traveling iiights withinsaid conductor trough or guideway, and means for moving the said iightsdownward therein at a speed less than that normally attainable by thematerial nnder the action of gravity when it is supported in said troughor guideway, substantially as set forth.

5. In an apparatus for transporting material of the character described,the combination of an inclined initial loading-receptacle, aconductor-trough with its reception end adjacent to the discharge end ofsaid loadingreceptacle, a cable-sheave supported vertically above theupper end of said conductortrough, a similar cable-sheave supportedvertically above the lower end of said conductor-trough, an endlesscable engaging said sheaves and with its lower part traveling withinsaid conductor-trough, iiights at intervals upon said cable, a wheelbetween said conductor-trou gh and loadingreceptacle,and formed with aseries of compartments adapted to receive the material from saidloadingreceptacle, means for slowly revolving said wheel, whereby thematerial may be delivered intermittently in predetermined quantities tosaid conductor-trough, and a guard within said conductor-trough, aroundsaid upper chain-sheave, whereby the material as it is discharged from afeed-wheel is divided and conducted around said cable-sheave anddelivered to said conductor-trough from opposite sides, substantially asset forth.

6. The combination of the trough rigidly fixed at an angle both to thevertical and the horizontal, whereby it can `give support to materialvmoving down therein, an endless carrier having flights in, and restingon the trough, V.power devices engaging with the lower end of thecarrier, and means for preventing a displacement of the carrier whensubjected to strain from the power devices, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FREEMAN R. WILLSON, JR.

Witnesses:

P. W. HOLSTEIN, M. W. SHERWOOD.

